Post extractor



Dec. 19, 1967 A. HARMON 3,358,967

. POST EXTRACTOR Filed Sept. 9, 1966 United States Patent 3,358,967 POSTEXTRACTOR Bill A. Harmon, 1321 N. 35th St, Phoenix, Aria. 85%3 FiledSept. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 578,366 6 Claims. (Cl. 2543t ABSTRACT OF THEDKSCLGMJRE A post extractor having a wheel supported truck provided withan upstanding frame carrying a post engaging guide adapted to guideposts while pulled upwardly by a chain or cable retracting device, suchthat the posts will be straddled by the truck of the extractor, and mayextend above the guide and above the frame without interferencetherewith in order that the posts may be extracted from the ground andpulled directly upwardly.

This invention relates to a post extractor, and more particularly, to apost extractor for pulling fence posts, or the like, and extracting themfrom the ground.

It has been a problem to provide a simple lightweight manually operablefence post extractor, which may be used by contractors, and others, forthe purpose of extracting fence posts, or the like, from the ground.

Large machines have been used for this purpose, and in many instances,such large machines which fail to pull the posts in a direction parallelto its axis and align with the axis of the posts, tend to bend theseposts and create great difiiculty in extracting the posts from theground.

When a force is applied to a post, during the extraction thereof fromthe ground, and such force is at an angle to the axis of the post, notonly tends to bend the post, but tends to bind the post in the ground.This is particularly true, where the lower ends of posts are set inconcrete and the concrete is fixed to the posts. The large area of theconcrete in the ground, not only tends to become bound by any forceapplied laterally of the axis of posts, but it tends to resist suchforce and cause the posts to be bent or damaged.

Large machines are not readily usable in some crowded areas in whichfences are installed, and therefore, the need for a compact lightweightand powerful fence post extractor has been apparent.

It has also been obvious that the digging of fence posts requires a lotof labor and that any attempt to pull a fence post by usual manualdevices may fail, either due to the force required, or due to a poorapplication of force not axially aligned with the posts.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a verysimple, compact, lightweight, portable fence post extractor which may beused in restricted or limited areas, and which very efiiciently appliespowerful forces to posts parallel to and aligned with the axis of theposts, so that they are most efiiciently extracted from the earthwithout being damaged.

Another object of the invention is to provide a post extractor having awheel support carriage, including horizontally disposed members whichextend forwardly from a cross member, and which provides for a freeunobstructed area between the horizontal members for straddling a postto be extracted, and wherein a vertical member is provided with aforwardly extending post guide adapted to bear on one side of the post,so that when a tensioning device connected to an upstanding member ofthe extractor applies a force to the post at a slight angle to the axisthereof, the post guide bears on the post and holds it in a verticalposition, thereby causing the resultant of the force to be vertical,since the wheel supported frame of the extractor may move to align thepost guide with the post and thereby cause a resultant force of theextractor to be aligned with the axis of the post.

Another object of the invention is to provide a post extractor of verysimple construction, employing a simple frame supported on wheels,including a cantilever or forwardly extending post guide and the simplemanually operable come-a-long, all of which provides for simplicity,compactness, power and efficiency in the extraction of posts from theground.

Another object of the invention is to provide a very simple postextractor which can be operated by a single man during the extraction ofposts from the ground, even though such posts are secured to the groundby large concrete footings.

Further objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent from thefollowing specification, appended claims and accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a post extraction, in accordancewith the present invention, showing the post extractor engaged with asubstantially vertical post, the base of which is set in concrete andillustrating portions of the invention broken away and in section toamplify the illustration; and

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view taken from the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

The post extractor of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2of the drawings, is provided with a frame 10 having a rearward portion12 and a forward portion 14. The frame is composed of two pairs ofhorizontally disposed members 16 and 1S interconnected by a cross member20. The horizontal members 16 and 18 are supported by wheels 22 and 24and 26 and 28, respectively. The wheels 24 and 28 being on the forwardfree ends 34 and 32 of the horizontally disposed members 16 and 13,respectively.

It will be seen that the free ends 30 and 32 are supported by the wheels24 and 38 and provide an unobstructed area therebetween and forwardly ofthe cross member 20.

The wheels 22 and 26 support the frame rearwardly of the cross member20. Upstanding members 34 and 35 extend upwardly from the members 16 and18, respectively, as shown best in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Secured bywelding or otherwise to these upstanding members 34 and 35 by a crossmember 37, is a forwardly directed post guide 36 having a post engagingroller 38 rotatably mounted thereon, said roller being rotatable aboutan axle 40, carried by the post guide 36. The post guide 36 is alsofixed to a brace 47 to be hereinafter described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and2 of the drawings, this roller 38 is adapted to bear against the side 46of a post 48, being extracted from the ground. The post, as shown inFIG. 1, is secured in a concrete footing 50 and the extraction of thispost can be most readily accomplished by pulling the post vertically andparallel with its axis.

A chain 52 wrapped at 54 around the post 48, extends upwardly and isengaged by a hook 56 of a chain 58 powered by a manually operablecome-along 60 having its frame secured by a hook 62 to a cross member 64at the upper end of the upstanding members 34 and 35.

A brace 47 interconnects the cross members 20 and 64 to brace theupstanding members 34 and 35 and the post guide 36.

In operation, the chain 54 is wrapped around the post 48 and tension isapplied to the chain 58 and chain 52 by the manually operablecome-a-long 60. During this application of tension force, compression iscreated in the upstanding members 34 and 35 and tension is applied tothe post 48. It will be understood, however, that the wheels 22, 24, 26and 28 permit the frame to move in the direction of an arrow A in FIG. 1of the drawings, until the roller 38 of the post guide 36 engages theside 46 of the post 48. Further tension causes the post 48 to be pulledvertically due to the fact, that the post guide, including the roller38, translates the angular force of the chains 52 and 58 into a verticalresultant parallel to the vertical axis of the post 48 and,consequently, the forces tend to move the frame on the wheels 22, 24, 26and 28 into a position, wherein the unrestricted area between thehorizontal members 16 and 18 is occupied by the post 48 and it isaligned vertically by means of the roller 38 on the post guide 36.

Continued action of the come-along 60 operated manually by a handle 66will apply vertical force in connection with the post 48 and extract itfrom the ground, together with its concrete footing 50.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications of the present invention may be resorted to in a mannerlimited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a post extractor, the combination of: a frame having forward andrearward ends; a pair of spaced horizontally disposed members; a crossmember interconnecting said horizontally disposed members; saidhorizontally disposed members having free ends projecting toward theforward end of said frame and forwardly from said cross member andthereby providing an unobstructed area extending between saidhorizontally disposed members and to said free end thereof; first wheelssupporting said free ends; second wheels supporting said framerearwardly relative to said cross member; an upstanding member supportedon said cross member and extending upwardly therefrom; a post guidemeans connected to said upstanding member and projected forwardly andadapted to form a bearing for a post located in said unobstructed area;and means for applying a compressive load to said upstanding member andan upward force to said post, causing it to bear on said post guide tobe extracted vertically from the earth, said frame unobstructed abovesaid guide means to permit a post freely to move upwardly as it isextracted vertically from the earth, and while an uppermost portion ofsaid post extends freely above an uppermost portion of said frame.

2. In a post extractor, the combination of: a frame having forward andrearward ends; a pair of space horizontally disposed members; a crossmember interconnecting said horizontally disposed members; saidhorizontally disposed members having free ends projecting toward theforward end of said frame and forwardly from said cross member andthereby providing an unobstructed area extending between saidhorizontally disposed members and to said free end thereof; first wheelssupporting said free ends; second wheels supporting said framerearwardly relative to said cross member; an upstanding member supportedon said cross member and extending upwardly therefrom; a post guidemeans connected to said upstanding member and projected forwardly andadapted to form a bearing for a post located in said unobstructed area;and means for applying a compressive load to said upstanding member andan upward force to said post, causing it to bear on said post guidemeans to be extracted vertically from the earth, said post guide meansis provided with a roller adapted to bear on the side of said post.

3. The invention, as defined in claim 2, wherein: op-

eration of said last mentioned means causes said wheels I to roll on theground and to align said frame in such a position, that said post guidemeans bears on the side of said post to thereby guide said postvertically during its extraction from the earth, said last mentionedmeans comprising a chain and come-a-long.

4. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein: said last mentionedmeans, includes tensioning means coupled to said upstanding member andsaid post and applying force to said post at an acute angle thereto,while said guide means holds said post in a vertical position.

5. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein: said last mentionedmeans, includes tensioning means coupled to said upstanding member andsaid post and applying force to said post at an acute angle thereto,while said guide means holds said post in a vertical position; saidtensioning means being a manually operable come-a-long.

6. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein: said post guide meansis provided with a post engaging roller having a horizontally disposedaxis of rotation; a chain adapted to be secured to a post below saidroller and adapted to extend upwardly adjacent said roller at an angleto said upstanding member, said chain adapted to be connected to saidlast mentioned means for creating tension therein and for extractingsaid post from the ground.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 1,070 11/1860 Balles254-139.1 81,918 9/1868 Manuel 254-1391 1,577,439 3/1926 Armbruster.3,129,924 4/ 1964 Froh. 3,269,704 8/1966 Pfundt 25430 3,290,006 12/ 1966Dubberke 254-31 MILTON S. MEI-ER, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A POST EXTRACTOR, THE COMBINATION OF: A FRAME HAVING FORWARD ANDREARWARD ENDS; A PAIR OF SPACED HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED MEMBERS; A CROSSMEMBER INTERCONNECTING SAID HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED MEMBERS; SAIDHORIZONTALLY DISPOSED MEMBERS HAVING FREE ENDS PROJECTING TOWARD ANDFORWARD END OF SAID FRAME AND FORWARDLY FROM SAID CROSS MEMBER ANDTHEREBY PROVIDING AN UNOBSTRUCTED AREA EXTENDING BETWEEN SAIDHORIZONTALLY DISPOSED MEMBERS AND TO SAID FREE END THEREOF; FIRST WHEELSSUPPORTING SAID FREE ENDS; SECOND WHEELS SUPPORTING SAID FRAMEREARWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID CROSS MEMBER; AN UPSTANDING MEMBER SUPPORTEDON SAID CROSS MEMBER AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM; A POST GUIDEMEANS CONNECTED TO SAID UPSTANDING MEMBER AND PROJECTED FORWARDLY ANDADAPTED TO FORM A BEARING FOR A POST LOCATED IN SAID UNOBSTRUCTED AREA;AND MEANS FOR APPLYING A COMPRESSIVE LOAD TO SAID UPSTANDING MEMBER ANDAN UPWARD FORCE TO SAID POST, CAUSING IT TO BEAR ON SAID POST GUIDE TOBE EXTRACTED VERTICALLY FROM THE EARTH, SAID FRAME UNOBSTRUCTED ABOVESAID GUIDE MEANS TO PERMIT A POST FREELY TO MOVE UPWARDLY AS IT ISEXTRACTED VERTICALLY FROM THE EARTH, AND WHILE AN UPPERMOST PORTION OFSAID POST EXTENDS FREELY ABOVE AN UPPERMOST PORTION OF SAID FRAME.